PlayBook Quick Tip: How to Type Special Characters

The other day, while sipping a latte at the caf&#233; and attempting to share my caffeine consumption with friends and colleagues via Twitter, I realized that though I've become fairly proficient with my BlackBerry PlayBook tablet's touch-screen keyboard, I didn't know how to type that accented "e" in "caf&#233;."

So I quickly performed a good ol' Google search and learned that it's quite simple to type a variety of special or accented characters via PlayBook. And you can also type a number of symbols, including the commonly used copyright symbol (&#169;).

To type an accented character or symbol via BlackBerry PlayBook, simply press and hold the corresponding letter for a second to display the accent- or symbol-options, and then tap the option you wish to type.

For example, you can type a handful of accented "i" characters by holding down the "i" key on the PlayBook's touch-screen keyboard and then choosing a specific character from the on-screen options.

BlackBerry smartphones also let you type many of the same special characters; you simply hold down the key for the character you wish to accent and then scroll left or right with your handheld's trackball/trackpad until the character appears. However, I think the PlayBook's method is actually simpler and more intuitive.